Local documentary to chew on 'Jaws'

A Central Florida man's documentary on the power of the film"Jaws" is included on theBlu-ray edition of the 1975 killer-shark thriller, which goes on sale Tuesday, Aug. 14.

J. Michael Roddy of Winter Garden is the producer of "The Shark Is Still Working," which he said is not a "making of" feature but a study of the film's wide-ranging influence.

"It's mostly focused on the impact of that film, what it did to the film industry and how it created a young Steven Spielberg and how he became a powerhouse and one of our premier storytellers," Roddy said.

The movie influenced not only filmmakers such as Kevin Smith, Bryan Singer, Robert Rodriguez and Steven Soderbergh, but future shark researchers and conservationists and popular culture, Roddy said. Four ominous notes in the soundtrack still signal that trouble is afoot.

"Even kids who don't know or haven't seen that movie know that that's the sound of a shark," said Roddy, 43, who works as a creative director in the theme-park industry.

Many of the film's actors were interviewed for the documentary.

"It was exhaustive. We have everyone [actors from "Jaws"] that was alive during the time I was filming it," Roddy said. Roy Scheider, who played police chief Martin C. Brody, narrated it before he died in 2008.

The documentary's name is a play on the phrase heard during the filming of "Jaws," which was delayed by a malfunctioning mechanical shark. "The shark is not working" was a repeated refrain on location, Roddy said. "The Shark Is Still Working" title emphasizes the film's continued effect.

"Jaws" motivated Roddy, who says he was 6 or 7 when he saw the film.

"It made me realize I wanted to tell stories for a living," he said. The film stayed with him into adulthood and still plays a role in the decor of his home office, which includes "Jaws" memorabilia.

"The Shark Is Still Working" never has been released before, although it has been shown at film festivals.

"We always wanted this to be part of a Universal release. We felt that would give it legitimacy," Roddy said. Universal finally called after "Jaws" was selected to be released as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Universal Pictures.

"It was one of the films that was handpicked to be restored," Roddy said. "It looks better now than it did in 1975 when it was released."

The closing of the Jaws ride at Universal Studios theme park in January hit close to home for Roddy.

"It was the passing of an era. I was at Universal on opening day, and I rode the original version of the Jaws ride," he said. "To me, it was a classic attraction based on a classic Universal film. But things change."

Next up for Roddy is another documentary. "MonsterKids" focuses on children of the 1960s and 1970s and how they were influenced and inspired by afternoon creature-features on television.